Electric ice-cutter.



G. PUCHAN.

{I IICIRIC ICE-CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED IJIAII. 29, I9I5. j!) J I x mi! WWF lamme@ @sa u? Z.

WWA/58853.?

'GERMAIN POUCHAN, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. ASSIGNOR or ONE-THIRD TO CLARIEIIGEl W. AYERS, SAL? FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, HERBERT GAYTES, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

CNE-THIRDl 'ro` ELECTRIC ICE-CUTTER.

To all whom t may.'concem:

' Be i known that I, GERMAIN PCUCHAN,

citizen of the United States, residing at -f the city and county of San Francisco, State ofA California, have invented certain new and useful' Improvements 1n Electric Ice- Cutters, whereof `the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to apparatus for cutting ice or dissenting it, so to speak, that is, reducing it to the shape of small blocks, ordinarily cubical, suitable for use A1n r'estaurants.

In carrying out this invention, I causen the ice and one or more sets of wires, which are heated by electricity, to be kept in contact andA thusA the wires melt their way throu hthe ice. By using a suitable number o sets of such wires the ice may be cut iin as many planes asis desirable.; forexample, in cutting it into cubes itv must be c'ut in three planes :at rlght -angles to each other and in such case I employ three sets of parallel wires, the wires of each set being so positioned as to cut the ice. in the three Aplanes at right angles to each other.

.for holding the cutting. wires ofthe rst and third sets, with the cutting wires in position therein. Certain parts are broken away to show the partsbehind them, as will be explained hereinafter.

Fig. l is a sectional v1 trated in Fig. 3, which is Preferred for holding' the wires ofthe second sets.

- Fig. 6 is a sectional vlew taken at vright' angles to Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is' a .detail showing the' terminal connection of the cutting wires and ew'taken at right angles to Fig. 3, on the line 4, 4, the bolts Aand rings being in elevation.- p

Fig. 5 shows the end of the frame illus- Specication of Letters Patent. f Patented Dec, 11g-1917. Application inea March as, 1915. serial No. 17.691.

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation ofthe back wall olffthe apparatus showing an automatic switch "for switching the electric current off of 'the wires 3 and onto the wires 6 and 8 automatically by the ice.

The machine illustrated is so constructed and tilte'clthat 'the ice placed upon-the receiving board slides Vby its own'weight and is guide zby the second set which is not heated untlthe ice has passed entirelythrough the lirst set, whereupon the second and third sets'.are subjected to the heating 'Current and tlije'lijce then changes its direction and travels fat right angles to its, former course Aagainst the second set of wires and against the third set, which is immedif Referring to the figures. 1 represents the receiving board or chute upon'whichthe ice, 2, is placed preparatory to being dissected. The ice, being in place and the machine` tilted, will press against the wires, hconta'ined in the frame, 4, and as soon as the electric current is turned on to those wires they will melt their Way into it, the ice advancing by gravity into the space, 5, behind those wires.v In so advancing it may be 'guided by the wires, .6, contained in the frame, '7, of the second set, or it may` be otherwise guided, as desired.

4When the ice has passed completely through the frame, 4, it'is allowed to implnge on the wires, 6, whichare'then lheated by the passage of a current and, the machine being suitably tilted, the ice bears against them and they melt their way through the ice v against the 51.51: set of cutting ywires and as l 1t feeds through-I them by gravity, slips along similarly to the first set. At the same time the` wires, 8, of the third set contained in the'fram'e, '9, are heatedand the ice bears against them and they also melt their way through the ice so that as Vit comes through the face of the machine it is dissected into Vsmall blocks or cubes which drop into a receptacle. y

The frames 4, 7, and 9, may be secured in slides for camera plates for convenience of removal. But for simplicity in the drawings l. have shown them in Fig. 1 and 2 as mounted upon bolts, 10, which will also serve to hold the partsfll and 12, ot the main frame together.' as shown in Fig. 1.

'l` he method ofsecurin'g the wires in the frames is as `follows:'.rirtfopposite sides of the framed provide blocks, 13 and 14 shown in lfigs. 3` and 4ot` insulating material. These blocks are ot a general' L'shape and rest against shoulders, 15, in the side bars of the trame; The blocks are assembled in pairs'andcarrybetween them the supporting rings, 16, mounted in recesses, 17, formed in the blocks. y

' The pair of blocks, 14, house between them, as shownin the tops of Figs. 3 and 4, the springs`,'18,fhung upon the bolts 19, the heads of which' are seated in the edgeI of trame 4. rthese springs .being maintained in -eompression,' and the endgmember of the rameftogetherz'vs'ith its similarly formed cover: plate,-2Q, providing guides -Within which theA pair o/insulating blocks may slide, these blocks underthe action of the springswill move away from the support of the .shoulders,` 15, whenever the wires eX- pandfunder the heatingeiect of thecurrent, and thus keep the wirestaut and straight under all ccnditionsof'expansion Aand contraction, theapparatus thereby producing blocks ot ice. of more-perfect form.

Theshoulders, 15', providev support for the blocks, 14, when the.. pressure or the ice on the .wires causes a stress'greater thanthe springsare designed to resist.

.The wires oit each frame are in one continnous piece and at their ends are securedv inv sleeves, 21, bymeans of'set screws,22, shown in FigstY and 7- rlhe sleeves arek mounted in the insulators, 14, similar to the insulators 13, and the endsot the wiresare connected to the electric mains, a and The current enters through one of the terminals, a or 6, and' passes through the` wires and out at the other, and the wires are thus heated.

if the block of ice, after passing `through the frame 4, is to be guided by the wires, 6, ofthe frame, 7, thosew-ires must at their receiving endslie in the' plane ot the moving ice.' Accordingly l carry the wires at that' end by the support shown 4in Figs.` 5 and 6. This support is virtually identical with that f shown in Figs. 3 and 4, ex'ceptthat one ot the insulating blocks is omitted, the remaining one, 23, modied andthe supporting ring changed to a disk, 24, held in pla/ce by a stud or rivet, 25.

The rings, 16,`a*nd disks, A24, l preferably make of metal it reduces the temperature in the wires at those points.

' For `convenience in mounting and demounting the wires` l form the Wire supporting sides of the trame oit a rough lL shape as seen at 26 in Fig. 4, and ll applyI cover plates, 20, and 2T, wliehfiirnay be secured by bolts or screws, 28,"or otherwise. ln Fig. 3 l have shown these cover plates, 20 and 27, broken away to show the insu- I lating blocks 13 and 14, behind themand ll have also shown the latter broken away .at the left hand side of the figure to show the supporting rings, 16.

l? ig. v5, which corresponds to Fig. .6,shows the wires thus passing under the disks, 24,"

and then 'deected by the edge of the insuy lating block,f13, into the'plane of the moving ice. y

iVhile the electric currents may be controlled by hand switches it desired, l have provided an automatic-switch shown in Figs.

spring connected to one/of the electric mains, 'as b. rlhe free end of this spring is between .two contacts,.l30 and 31. lThe vcontact 30 1v and 8, whose operation follows. '29 is a connects with aterminal ol wires, 3, the

other terminal being connected to main e. rll`he contact 31`connectslwith 'a terminal of Wires 6 or 8, which are connected together in sets, the other terminal beingconnected to main a. 32 is a pin projecting through Wall 12 into the path of the advancing ice, 2, and adapted to act-upon spring 29. rl`he operation is this i-The ice, 2, coming through the wires, 3, comes against pin 32, when it isentirel'y through those Wires and presses the' pin, 32, and spring, 29, outward thus breaking the electric circuit at 30 and closing it at 3l. through wires 3, which cool 0E, and passes through Wires 6 and 8, which are heated thereby and the ice then passes throughthe latter, as already described.

Having thus described my invention, and

an embodiment of it, in the full, clear and exact terms required by law, and knowing that it comprises novel, useful and valuable 'llhe current thus ceases to pass improvements inthe art to which it pertains, i

lt here state that l do not wish to be limited to the precise construction vand arrangement of the several parts, as herein set iorth, as.

the same may be variously modified by a skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit of the invention.

lWhat li claimand desire to s tersPatent of the United lowing, tov witz- `1. An ice dissecting apparatus, compris ecure by Let States is the fol- `ingelectrically heated wires, arranged in lio and vautomatic means to control said electric current. j'

3. `An ice' 'dissecting apparatus, comprising atilte'd frameQP'Vded with a slide for receiving the ice, a set of lelectrically l heated wires in 'the path of the ice, where- 'it iscut o n its',` passage Kfrom the slide', through the wires, a `second slide adapted to receive the ice as it leaves said wiresand tilted se. that the. ice tends to move' at 'ani angle to its *former course, a second and third' setof electrically heated wires at anglesfto eachother arranged in the path of theice as it moves in this new' direction, whereby it is cut into blocks by its passage through. saidrlastmentioned two sets of wires, and lautomaticl means for' switching 'j the electric current alternately to each set.

'4. Ina'n ice dissecting apparatus, a wire holding frame comprising'insulating blocks,

varranged. 1n pairs, and-metallic supports for the wires secured between each pair of .lolocksv H -f 'l f2.5 cally, means for automatically switching` an 5. In an ice' dissectiiig apparatus, three sets of wiresadapteditc be heated electrielectrlicvcurrent 'through each set of. wires alternately, means for guiding a'hlockl of ice against-the first set of wires and through' the same means for changing the direction" osaid ice 'and guiding it against the second lvusetoffwires, and means for guiding the ice1 I. against 'the third set of Wires, whereby the guiding a -block of -icefromsaid ,adapted to guide'the ice as it'issues" from set of wires.

ice is cut inv three-directions, forming square blocks. j f

6. In anicev dissectilig` apparat 5 vided with a slide,- a. set foflverticalgl posed electrically 4'heated 'wires,. mea

posed electrically heated wires, 'means or guiding a. block of ice" from y said f'slideA against and through. said wires, a second setv of right-angle and vertically disposed wires said first set of wires, means for automatically switching an electric current through.

saidset Aof .wires'after the ice has'passedthrough the rst set,a'nd means for guiding said ice in 'its passage through the second In testimony thatI claim' 'the foregoing I have-hereto set my' hand'in the presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of March, 1915. f

(minimun PoUcHA'N.

Witnesses: I

' j 5 -HERBERT GAYTEs Lonn'r'ro ALvns. 

